Love over everything else
by XxRoseyxX
Summary: AU where Skye, Nat, Clint, and Ward all went to Operations Academy together. He's loved her for years, but will he get the chance to tell her? What starts as a routine 0-8-4 goes horribly wrong and Skye is taken. Will Ward be able to keep it together to save her? Established Skye/Ward, Nat/Clint, Fitz/Simmons, and May/Coulson
1. Chapter 1

Skye and Ward were playing battleship in the lounge, Fitz-Simmons were down in the Lab working on a night-night grenade, Coulson was in his office on the phone, and May was taking a shower. They had been up late the past couple of days and were happy to have the morning to relax.

"B6" Skye asked as she stared at Ward trying to read his expression.

"How-?"

"Say it! Come on Ward. You gotta say it!" She jeered at him knowing what she's done.

"You sunk my battleship." He said as he shot her a fake glare.

"Yeah!" She called out and started giggling

"How do you do that?"

"Magic" Was her only response.

Just then Coulson entered the lounge and looked around the room. He seemed to notice the missing members of the team and went to retrieve them. When he came back, May was changed and her hair was still wet, and Fitz was playing with a grenade shell and Simmons was looking at her notes.

"We have an 0-8-4. May, change the course to Moscow. We're meeting up with Black Widow and Hawkeye on scene. It'll be an 8 hour flight. Strap in." He announced and then quickly left to alert the Russian police of their arrival.

8 hours later they touched down at a Russian airport and went to the rendezvous point. They found Black Widow and Hawkeye in plainclothes waiting at a cafe near the airport. 

"Hey Nat. Clint." Ward said as Natasha ran up and hugged him tight. Clint clapped him on the back and went to greet the rest of the team.

She hadn't seen Nat or Clint for years, and they looked good. They finally got together and they were so happy, Skye knew they would end up together, even in the Academy.

She was caught off guard by Natasha's blitzed hug. Natasha leaned back and said

"It's great to see you Skye. I missed you."

Skye was happy to see Nat, who was an old friend she hadn't seen in years. "You too Nat."

"Yeah. You and your team are a popular subject lately." Clint spoke up from where he had sat back down.

"Okay. The 0-8-4's signal was traced to three locations. The first is a warehouse 10 blocks south of here. Ward and Skye take that one. The next is a country villa just outside the city. Romanov and Barton, you take that one, and May, Fitz-Simmons and I'll take that Apartment across from the train station. We'll check our locations and report back in two hours."

"Got it." May said as she herded Fitz-Simmons to the SUV.

"All clear." Nat said as she turned towards Clint.

"Sure thing." Ward said as he nodded to the bus to get the TAC gear. Skye nodded her understanding and they walked into the armory and suited up.

"You good babe?" Ward asked Skye after he had finished putting his gear on and gathering his weapons.

"Yeah. I'm good." She said as she slid her knife into her boot and kissed him quickly.

Once they got to the warehouse they devised an entry plan. Skye would go in through the front and Ward would enter through the alley, in case there were guards. Skye opened the alley door and softly closed it. She made her way down the hallway and opened the first door. Nothing. Then she did the same with all the other doors until she had one left.

"Last door. So far all clear. Go through the front door. I used the alley door." She whispered into her headset.

"I told you not to use the alley door. I was going to take it. Be careful, Skye." Ward replied.

She opened the door and searched the room and found it to be empty. Skye finished her section so she should go meet up with Ward.

"All clear on my en-" Skye was cut off by something hitting her in the head and then everything went black.

He heard Skye say something and then heard her cry out and what sounded like her body hit the floor.

"Skye? Babe, answer me! Skye!" Ward yelled into the headset as he ran to her last known location. He found her headset broken and a small pool of blood on the floor.

"Coulson. We have a problem. Skye's been taken." Ward said somberly as he bends down to examine the blood. He follows the small blood trail down the hallway, into the alley and then it stops by a pair of tire tracks. They put her in the car or van. They waited for them. A trap.

"Ward, we're on our way. I called Barton and Romanov. They're en route. We will find her." Coulson promised the specialist, who he knew was in love with his partner, even if he didn't show it around the team, they all knew. Those two specialists have had it bad since the Academy.

"Ward?" Nat called as soon as she hopped out of the truck.

"Nat?" Ward yelled from inside the warehouse. Hoping it was loud enough for her to hear.

"What happened?" She asked hesitantly. She knew he loves her. They all went through the Academy together. Skye and Nat were partners for years. She was worried about her too.

"I was on the other side of the building. She came in the alley. She cleared this room and then I heard her cry out and I-" His voice broke and he couldn't finish the sentence.

"Okay man. She's still alive. This isn't a lot of blood. We can find her." Clint said trying to give his friend something to focus on other than the worst case scenarios.

"Yeah. I should have gone in through the alley. She was supposed to take the front. She'd still be here if she took the front. She didn't listen." He said dropping his head into his hands. 

"Do not blame yourself, Grant. It isn't your fault. Okay. They waited. It was an ambush. You couldn't have stopped it." Natasha said looking into his dark brown eyes.

"Yeah, but it would be me they have right now. I can handle it. It should be me. If she just listened to me she'd be here." He just sat there with his eyes glassing over as he shut down.

"Let's get him to the car, Nat. Coulson will know what to do." Clint said as he grabbed Ward's arm and took his weight.

Skye woke up tied to a metal chair that was in the middle of a dimly light warehouse. She had a massive headache and her headset was gone. She glanced around the room trying to get a bearing on where she was.

"Agent Skye. So glad you could join us." A man with a heavy Russian accent said as he stepped forward.

"Where am I?" She asked knowing he would never tell her.

He laughed a deep, hoarse laugh and said "You're in hell, Agent Skye." and then he motioned for two men to hold her in place. "Answer my questions and you shall be granted a quick death. Don't answer and well, let's say it will not be pleasant. Fair, no?" He asked her.

"Go. To. Hell." She spoke each word slowly.

"Agent, I told you that you were already in hell." He laughed and then hit her in the face, repeatedly, and one last hard punch had her blinking until there was just darkness.

Skye woke up sometime later with a burning headache. She looked around and caught a glimpse of movement. The man came up behind her and placed something hot against her shoulder and all she could do was scream as it burned onto her skin. A familiar voice said:

"Tell Grant a message: You don't leave HYDRA, and certainly not for some girl. You are nice to look at for a SHIELD agent. I see the appeal, but it doesn't seem worth it in the long run."

_John Garrett!_ Skye was then injected with a sedative and she passed out shortly after that.


	2. Chapter 2

Ward was pacing the length of the briefing room since they'd gotten back to the 'bus' 20 minutes ago. Nat furiously tapping on the holopad looking for any sign of Skye, Coulson on the phone with Director Fury updating him on the situation and Fitz-Simmons trying to access the last of Skye's headset footage. Hawkeye was asking them a question, something to do with her tracker.

"Can't you find her by pinging the tracker?" He asked after thinking about it for a minute.

"That could work as long as she's- " Simmons started but was interrupted by Ward.

"Alive. Its injected into our skin and works with our heart rate and pulse." It was the first time Ward had spoken since the alley.

"I was going to say stable but yes." Simmons said apologetically.

"We have permission to access the SHIELD satellites to find her." Coulson told Romanov as he entered the briefing room.

"I'm already doing that now. Any luck with the camera?" She called out.

Nat was linking it up to her computer and as she watched the feed she gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Her eyes started to water and she shut it off. Ward, who was watching what Nat was doing, walked over there.

"Put it up on the screen."

"Grant, you don't want to- "

"Nat put it up!" He growled.

She opened the computer and tapped away at the keys and then turned the monitor on and pressed play. She didn't want Ward to see this, considering his feelings for her friend.

The video showed a dimly light warehouse, and then they heard Skye groan. Then a voice,

"Agent Skye. So glad you could join us." The man had a very rich accent, they noticed.

"Where am I?" She asked, confused. He laughed a deep, hoarse laugh and said "You're in hell, Agent Skye." and then he motioned for something with his hand, most likely his guards. "Answer my questions and you shall be granted a quick death. Don't answer and well, let's say it will not be pleasant. Fair, no?" He asked her. "Go. To. Hell." She pronounced each word slowly. She was holding out. "Agent, I told you that you were already in hell." He laughed and then hit her. Over and over and over and over until she passed out. Then the video cut out.

"God Damn it!" Ward yelled as he punched the wall and stormed out of the briefing room, with Nat close behind.

Everyone else was almost in tears and Hawkeye took over tracing the camera.

Ward needed to get out of there and he ended up in Skye's bunk sitting on her bed. Nat waited at the door, not wanting to barge in. Ward didn't even notice that she followed him. All he saw was Skye getting hit over and over in his mind and it wouldn't stop.

"Hey. We'll get her back. You shouldn't blame yourself. It's not your fault Grant."

"Seeing him hit her, I get so angry, I just- I"

"Love her?" She asked knowing the answer.

"I've been in love with her for 5 years, and the last thing I said to her was as her partner on the mission. She wouldn't listen to me about her entrance. I was scolding her over the earpiece."

"That's it! Does she still have an earpiece?" She practically shouted.

Ward nodded. "Yeah we all do."

Nat ran back into the briefing room and took over and began tracing Skye's earpiece. She locked on in less than a minute. Ward walked in as she put on a headset and tuned it to Skye's frequency.

"Skye? Can you hear me? It's Natasha."

"Nat...? Wha-?" Skye groaned and spit blood on the floor.

"Skye! Oh I'm so happy to hear your voice! You scared us to death!" Simmons chirped.

Skye didn't say anything.

"Skye, it's Clint, if you aren't alone can you let us know?"

Skye spit blood on the ground.

"Agent Skye? Have you thought about my offer?" The Russian asked.

"And have you thought about this thing called mouthwash?" Skye laughed and then grunted when he punched her in the stomach.

"Don't piss him off Skye!" Nat said into the headset

Skye gasped. Then it turned into a fit of giggles that she couldn't stop.

"I'm sorry, I'm ruining your whole 'scary interrogation', aren't I?" She whispered, out of breath.

"You won't be laughing when we tell you we killed your partner." He sneered.

Skye stopped laughing almost instantly. She shook her head. Then she looked straight at him.

"You're bluffing. He's too good to get caught by YOU. He's trained to be better than you."

"What does that make you? If we caught you, but he's 'too good'?" He questioned.

"Over Zealous. Arrogant. Cocky. I'd take any one of 'em." She replied with a bitter laugh.

"We did kill your partner. Agent Ward, wasn't it?"

"What? You could have hacked into SHIELD to get that. That means nothing."

"Once he saw you crumpled on the floor bleeding, he practically killed himself." He laughed at her look of confusion.

"No. He wouldn't- You're lying! He got away and you're baiting me." She decided.

"No. he's dead. I put a bullet in his head myself. Here's his ring." He said seriously.

"NO! Oh- God, No. Grant..." Skye choked out and started sobbing staring at the ring.

"What do we have here, did you love him?" He asked genuinely curious.

"I'll kill you, you sick bastard! I'll kill you for what you did! You hear me?!" She screamed.

"You did! You loved him! How sad." He beats her until she passes out again.

"Natasha, what did you hear? All we saw was video." Coulson asked.

"I- um recorded it. Here." She said as she played it. When it was done they all looked shocked. Skye never cried. She was so brave and strong, but not now. She was grieving.

"Poor Skye. She thinks Ward's dead. Next time she's conscious we'll put him on and-"

"No, Fitz. She might reveal that to her captors. If they know she talks to us, she'll be dead." May said trying to explain the situation. She suddenly looks at the screen.

"I'm sorry. I should've listened to you. It's my fault. I'll make him pay. I promise. I'm so sorry Grant. I told you it was too dangerous to love me." She sniffled and shook her head.

"Grant's dead. This bastard killed him, to get to me." Skye whispered into the comm with a sob.

_How are you guys liking it so far? It's only my second story, so sorry if you don't! Leave me a review and let me know! Another one of my stories is called The morning After, it's an Arrow Olicity FF. Check it out! I appreciate all reviews! Tell me what you think, and if you like it! Or if you think it needs something, let me know:) ~ XxRoseyxX _


	3. Chapter 3

"Skye, it's Nat. What's around you?"

"Nothing. I'm on a metal chair. Tied with wire."

"Injuries?" Nat asked.

"My shoulder and I think some bruised ribs. He's coming. I gotta go." She whispered.

Ward was pacing again. Coulson knew that the two agents were involved. "Ward." he called.

"Sir?" He asked hoarsely.

"I think you should talk to Skye through Natasha. It might help."

"What if he talked directly to her?" May asked. Fitz mentioned it and she had been thinking it over.

"She might give it away." Coulson stated.

"Or it might be the push she needs." Nat said while putting communication on the intercom.

"How is that?" Coulson asked at the same time Fitz asked "Why?"

"Because they're in love!" May, Nat and Simmons said in unison. Ward just stared at the ground, not looking at anyone.

"Who's in love with who? I always miss the good stuff." Skye said with a groan.

"It's May! Ward isn't dead!" May shouted at the monitor.

"Huh? But he- I need proof. I swear if this is some ruse to get me to escape.." She started.

"No trick, Partner. Can't kill me that easy." Ward said softly.

He could hear her crying. "Oh my god! Don't ever die! Ever!" She demanded.

"Nope. It'll take more than Russian mobsters to kill me." He said with a small smile.

"Not mob. HYDRA. He's coming. Watch the cam." She whispered quickly. They all watched the video.

The man came back and asked Skye "Changed your mind, Agent?" Her answer was to spit in his face. He hit her again, causing her to spit up blood.

"This calls for some extreme measures." He states while he hooks up a car battery and two clamps. Nat gasps. The Russian laughs and says "Last chance little girl." She responds with "Bring it, old man." He puts the clamps on her chair and turns it on low. Skye grunts and shakes her head. Then he turns it up, she groans louder this time, and when he turns it up again, higher, she cries out. "Tell me what I need, or I turn it up." He said. She spit at him again. He turned it up higher and she screamed. Agonizing screams. They could only sit by and listen to it. She was dying. She cries out again and then passes out.

Nat cringes and hugs Clint, Fitz-Simmons hug, May's eyes are glassy and she turns around, Coulson looks like he's going to throw up, and Ward lets his tears fall.

"Ready to answer my questions? Agent Skye? Fine, I have no use for you." He yells.

The last thing they see is a knife and her scream as it stabs her in the gut. She grunts.

"Payback.." She said, wheezing. Fight sounds, then men groaning and a door slam shut.

Coulson heard this and he gathered the team and went to the lounge to relay the information. May, Nat and Clint were on the couch talking, Fitz-Simmons were in the lab, and Ward was sitting at the bar alone.

"She came back on the earpiece. She escaped." Coulson announced

"How?" Simmons asked.

"She learned from the best at escaping from these situations. Right Natasha?"

"We used to train for these scenarios when we were roomies at the Academy." She said.

"Skye went to the Academy?" Fitz asked.

"Yeah. Operations with me and Nat and Clint." Ward said with a smile.

"Whoa. I didn't know that." Simmons said.

"There's a lot about Skye you don't know. You'll have to ask her about it!" Clint said, with a grin.

Suddenly they heard a bang and saw the Cargo light blinking.

"Someone's in the Cargo bay!" May shouted running from the cockpit.

They all ran down to find Skye stumble in, beaten and bloody.

May ran off to the cockpit, and set course to the nearest SHIELD Med facility.

"Skye?" Ward asked.

"Grant.. I need a first aid kit and whiskey." She said hoarsely.

"Skye, what hurts?" Nat asked.

"Everything, Nat. Stop spinning. You're making me-" She started to feint but Clint caught her.

"Skye!" Ward rushed over to her side. He held her and laid her down in his arms.

"Hey Grant. I thought you were dead. I'm glad you aren't." She said touching his face.

"I'm glad you aren't either. I told you not to go in through the alley, Skye." He said.

"I'm glad I did. They were looking for you. Grant it was a trap for you. They knew about us."

"What?" He asked shocked.

"They wanted me to give you up. I wouldn't. They did things to me." She said as she passed out in Grant's arms.

When they arrived at the Med Facility, the doctors swept her into emergency surgery. The team sat in the waiting room for hours before the doctor came out to update them. She talked to Coulson and he gathered everyone to tell them.

"Skye? Is she alright?" Nat asked, unsure of the answer.

"I'm not sure." He said and turned to Ward.

"She's bad, isn't she? I can see the pity in your eyes. Tell me!" He snapped.

"The knife punctured her appendix, which ruptured, and she had bled internally. She has a hairline fracture to the cheekbone. She has a three inch cut on her forearm that will scar. And some burn scars on her fingers and hands." He said as he looked between the team.

"There's something you aren't telling us." Ward said as he clenched his fists.

"They- They branded her, Grant." He said, his voice rising an octave.

"Where? How? Did they- ?"

"On her shoulder with what looks like a fire poker, it's the HYDRA seal."

Everyone immediately looked at Ward. He dropped to the ground with his head in his hands. They went to her room in the ICU and looked through the window. They all were shocked that their friend, their partner, who was so energetic and full of life and stubborn as hell, look so broken and frail, and even worse, defeated.

"Ward, why don't you..." Nat said as she saw tears threatened to spill down his cheeks.

"This was John. I know it. I walked away from it. For her. He did this to get to me."

Ward walked into the room and sat on the chair, grabbing her hand and squeezing softly.

"I'm so sorry, Skye. I should've taken the alley. This is on me." He said mournfully.

He sat there and the tears he'd been holding back finally came and he cried while he held her hand and listened to the steady beep of the monitors.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Nat. She came in, she saw him crying and pulled a chair over, sat next to him and leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. Seeing her best friend so distraught after seeing the woman he loves beaten for over 14 hours. She held him while he cried and prayed to whoever was listening to make Skye get better_. He's lost so much. Don't take her away too. He can't- no he won't survive this_, _not without her. _she thought as she hugged her friend.

_Hey everyone! Sorry to leave a bit of a cliffhanger here, but thought this was a good place to stop. Sorry about this chapter being short! I kind of made Skye a little bit more tough and Agent-like because I thought she was really helpless in season 1 and always needed rescuing. I like the dynamic between Hawkeye and Black Widow, I totally ship them:) I decided to add them to the team, not only because I love them, I wanted to give Skye and Ward a backround and I really liked the idea of Skye going to Operations with them. I'm going to go in depth about that and why she never mentioned it next chapter! Thanks, xoxo ~XxRoseyxX_


	4. Chapter 4

Skye was in the ICU two days, and Ward never left her side. She woke up screaming. Once the doctors came in and took her vitals, they explained her injuries. Suddenly it hit her, what she was doing here, how she had sustained these injuries and she started crying.

"Shh. Skye, you're okay. I'm right here." She held out her arms and he held her tightly,

"It was awful. They just kept-" She murmured into his chest.

"I know. We saw it all on the cam. It was horrible to see them hurting you and I couldn't stop them. I've never felt so powerless." He revealed.

"Oh god. If you were watching that means you heard..." She quickly looked away.

"Heard what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. I saw John Garret. He branded me and told me to tell you that you don't leave HYDRA, and not for some girl. Did you leave HYDRA for me?" She asked, hesitantly.

Ward stared at her a moment, then he leaned in and kissed her, instead of answering her.

Skye was surprised to find his lips come crashing onto hers so openly where the team might see. She pulled back, but only for a second before immediately kissing him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Nat and Clint, had just walked up to the window as Skye launched herself at Ward and kissed him. To say they weren't all shocked was an understatement. It was only a matter of time.

"It's about damn time." Clint said. Nat just smiled, keeping their relationship secret.

Skye and Ward, who hadn't realized they had company, broke apart and stared at each other.

"What happens now? About HYDRA?" She asked him.

"We take it day by day. Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up." He promised.

"Mkay. G'night Grant." She said as she yawned and soon after she quickly fell asleep.

Ward sat there and stared at her, feeling so unbelievably lucky that she was alive. They finally had a chance. After everything they had been through, it was possible.

Skye woke up screaming in the middle of the night, but she heard a soothing voice talking to her. Expecting Ward, she was surprised to find Melinda May sitting on her bed holding her.

"May? Please don't- don't leave me, okay? I can't be alone." She whispered.

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise." May said softly. She needed to tell her soon.

"May?" Skye asked when she woke up a few hours later.

"I'm here." May said as she got up from the couch and sat in the chair.

"Thank you. For last night. It- It means a lot." She whispered, with a smile.

"Your welcome, Skye. I was happy to do it." May said returning her smile.

_5 WEEKS LATER_

"Please? Come on AC! I'm 100%!" Skye begged, as the doctor checked her vitals.

"Agent Skye has healed quite nicely. She needs to take it easy for a few days, but-"

"Yes! I can go back to the 'bus'!" Skye exclaimed, just as May and Ward walked in.

"Oh really? I didn't hear that? Did you, May?" Ward giving her a quick kiss.

"Nope. I heard she needed to take it easy..." May said, earning a glare from Skye.

"Seriously! I'm fine. Besides I need to get out of here. Hospitals wig me out!" She shuddered.

The doctor laughed and asked to speak with Coulson privately.

"I wanted to show you something. If you aren't okay with it, I won't mind." She said quietly.

May and Ward both agreed to seeing what she wanted to show them, so Skye lifted her t-shirt to show a small vertical scar just beneath her ribs. It was about 4 inches and it was still pink.

"You both feel guilty for what happened to me. This-' she pointed to her scar- ' is not your fault. Honestly I'm alive because that creep gave me this." She said pull her shirt down.

Skye was released and they helped her onto the couch in the lounge. May sat on the couch next to her and Ward sat at the bar.

"Can I have a minute with her alone, Ward?" May asked hesitantly.

Ward nodded and walked out of the room.

"I have something to tell you. I'm not sure how you'll react, but I want you to hear me out."

"Of course, May." Skye said immediately.

"22 years ago, I had a daughter. She was my whole world. We were a family, the two of us."

Skye was shocked to hear that May had a daughter. May didn't look like a mother.

"When she was a year old, I had to leave on a mission. I came back to find her missing.

The agents protecting her, were dead. And I lost everything." She said, a single tear falling down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry, May. I didn't realize you had a daughter." Skye said squeezing her hand.

"I've been searching for her for years. But then I received new information. She was alive."

"What? Who told you that? Did you find her?" Skye asked so curious.

"I wasn't sure if I found her but recently it's been confirmed. I found my daughter."

"Oh my god! That's great May!" Skye said smiling.

"But the thing is- I know her. Before I found out she was my daughter. And I'm not sure she would accept it. Me." May looked really vulnerable.

"I'm sure she would." Skye said reassuringly.

May took a deep breath and prepared herself to say this world-changing truth.

"I'm your mother Skye." She said seriously.

"What?" Skye wasn't sure what to think. May was her MOM?!

"Your my daughter, Skye." She was scared Skye would kick her out.

"I have a mother. I-" She grabbed May and hugged her tightly and cried.

May was shocked but immediately hugged her back and they sat on the couch, crying.

"I thought you'd kick me out." May said with a laugh.

"Are you kidding?! I find out your my mom? I want to know everything!' She said happily.

"Okay. You were the most beautiful baby. Beautiful brown eyes and some brown hair too. You had the chubbiest little cheeks! You were so tiny and fragile. I was so scared I'd break you."

"What did you name me? I'm just curious. I named myself Skye."

"I named you Rebekah. Rebekah May." She said with a smile.

"I like it. It's edgy. And it's not spelled with two c's right?" She asked.

"Ugh, no! R-e-b-e-k-a-h. I liked it." May said with a laugh.

"I do too." Skye said with a smirk.

Skye was finally cleared to leave the hospital and for active duty. She couldn't believe how much her life had changed. For the better and for the worst, but sometimes change is good.

_8 months later_

After everyone got over the initial shock of the whole "Skye-is-May's-daughter" thing, everything went back to normal, well, almost normal.

"Mom? You here? Okay, hurry up babe! They'll be back any second." She screeched.

"Okay. Don't take it out. It's not bad." He put her on the lab table and gathered supplies.

"Easy for you to say. You don't have a knife in your thigh. I'm so busted!"

He poured the antiseptic onto the wound and prepared to pull the knife out.

Just then, Skye and Ward heard the cargo door close and Skye cringed.

"Uh-oh" She put her head in her hands, waiting for the inevitable lecture.

May walked into the cargo hold with Coulson when she saw a blood trail leading to the lab. They followed it to find Ward collecting gauze, thread and a needle, and Skye...

"Why the hell do you have a knife sticking out of your thigh?!" She yelled.

"Because Mom, everybody's doing it." Skye said sarcastically to her mother.

Ward chose that moment to pull the knife out. 

"Shit! What the hell Grant?" Skye cried out.

"Sorry. Thought this was a good distraction." He said apologetically and kissed her forehead.

He stitched up her wound and taped some gauze over it and helped her to her room.

"I think we should tell the team. About HYDRA and you." Skye blurted as Ward helped under the covers.

Ward tensed. If anyone found out he told Skye? Bad. But the team? Oh that wouldn't end well. But he really cared about Skye, and he didn't want to lie to the team anymore.

"Okay. If you want to tell them right now, I'll support it." He said and kissed her forehead.

May entered the lounge looking for Skye, and couldn't find her. She hears a door close and sees Ward leaving Skye's room.

"Ward." She calls out and he walks over to her and sits down.

"Simmons told Skye she should rest so I helped her to her room. She's asleep." He said.

"Thank you for that. I'm sure Skye appreciates it too." May said.

"Yeah. I'd do anything for her." He said turning away.

As he started to walk away he heard, "Are you still with HYDRA, Ward? Is Russia on you?!"

Ward immediately cringed and turned to May. She was one of the best specialists ever trained at the Academy and he had to admit he was nervous.

"What?" He asked her cautiously.

"Are you still loyal to HYDRA? HYDRA tortured my daughter. Is it on you?" She asked again, her voice cold.

"Mom!" Skye yelled at her meddling mother.

"What?! I want to know. Are you?!" May asked, crossing her arms.

"Mom stop." Skye said after a minute.

"Why? I'm your mother."

"You made it clear you don't like nor trust Grant after he came back." Skye said.

"He was working for HYDRA! He was a traitor!" May yelled.

"No! He was undercover!" Skye yelled back.

"Skye!" Ward said shocked. He didn't think she meant telling them now.

"I know. I'm sorry, but she needed to know. I couldn't hear her call you a traitor!" She said apologetically.

"Who ordered this undercover op?" May asked, curious.

"Director Fury. He knew John would trust me because I was his favorite student."

"And you never worked for HYDRA? Hurt anyone innocent? Hurt Skye?" She asked him.

"No, I never worked for HYDRA, I didn't hurt anyone who didn't deserve it and I would never hurt Skye. What happened to Skye in Russia... was retaliation for me walking away." He said looking May in the eyes and she could tell he was being honest.

"Okay. I believe you. But there's one small problem." May said.

"What?" They both asked.

"You have to tell her father." May said with a laugh when she saw Ward's face.

May walked out of the room laughing and headed for the cockpit.

"Tell Coulson... great." Ward said turning to Skye.

"Um, it can't be that bad, right?" She said rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

_I'm so screwed..._Ward thought. Dating the boss's daughter. He was never that type.

They walked up to Coulson's office and stepped in. He looked up from the file he was reading.

"Hey dad. Got a minute?" Skye asked as she closed the door, trapping them in his office.

"Sure, Skye. Come on in." He said with a smile.

Skye and Ward walked to the chairs in front of his desk.

"Just wondering if we could go out tonight? We've been cooped up and I want thai." Skye said nervously.

"Sure, just ask everybody before you go." Coulson said, not looking up from his file.

"Anything for you Sir?" Ward asked.

"No thanks. Thai isn't my favorite."

"Okay. We're going to go now."

Skye thought about this for a minute and decided. _Maybe if he was in a good mood..._

"I'm thinking about getting pizza instead.. Want some Dad?" Skye asked.

"I would love some, Skye. Thank you." Coulson said with a smile.

"Pepperoni? " Ward said

"Is there any other way?" Coulson said with a laugh

"We're dating." Skye blurted out.

"Okay. You both can go. And you haven't been fooling anyone." Coulson said as he looked back to his file.

Skye and Ward both exited the office quickly and went to the car. They arrived back an hour later and sat on Skye's bed and watched movies and ate pizza. They fell asleep soon after.

May turned on auto-pilot and walked into the lounge to see Skye and Ward had left Pizza for everyone. She took her slice and headed to her bunk. _Coulson's okay with it... _She thought as she climbed into bed.

Coulson called everyone to the briefing room the next morning. He was anxious, not good.

"We have a new mission. There's one catch, it's a solo for Ward. It's requested by Fury."

Ward seemed nervous, a little on edge. Skye looked like she was deciding between punching Coulson or throwing up.

"W-When?" Skye stammered.

"Tonight." Coulson said, giving Skye a sympathetic nod.

"Dad, he can't go. If I'm not there to watch his back, he can't- he's my partner! I-"

"You're thinking like his girlfriend! NOT a specialist! You two made a HUGE mistake getting involved and you know it! You can't be objective." Coulson scolded.

"What, like you and mom?! Don't even pull that bullshit! I'm 23 years old, not a child!"

"Skye.. I have to go. Fury-" Ward started but Skye wasn't having any of that.

"Fury can go straight to hell! HYDRA was looking for YOU remember? Not me! You know what they did to me, and that was just a fucking message! What do you think they'll do to YOU?" Skye screamed and then tears welled up in her eyes.

"I know you think what happened in Russia was your fault but it wasn't. John Garrett WILL kill you Grant. I've known you for 7 years, been in love with you for 5, and we've been dating for 8 months! That's not enough time for me, I want to spend the rest of my life with you Grant, so excuse me if I don't want you risking your life on some damn suicide mission!" She said and stormed out.

"Oh, man." Ward said putting his head in his hands.

"I'm saying this as your boss, you have to do this, Ward. It's important." Coulson said.

"Yeah, I know. Just- I think she feels like every mission I go on now, HYDRA will be there."

"Go talk to her. Help ease her mind, Grant. Russia was hard on her."

"I know." Ward said sadly as he walked out of the briefing room and down the hall to Skye's bunk. He knocked on the door and heard 'Go away' and he knocked again.

Skye opened the door and she looked up at him. She was wearing a tank top and shorts, and she looked scared.

"You can't go, Grant. I can't lose you. When I found out about HYDRA, it nearly killed me to find out the man I have loved since the Academy was a killer. I hated myself for loving you even after that. When you told me you were undercover and it was all a ruse, I was so happy. It meant you were the man I fell in love with, it meant you hadn't played me, hadn't led me on. I just- Garrett is out there and I don't think I could live with myself if anything happened-"

Skye's face contorted with pain and she clawed at her arm, at her jagged scar. Her eyes started to bleed and she whispered his name, pointed at the scar and passed out.

Ward immediately knew what had happened. Skye was supposed to convince him to go on the mission. She refused and warned him, so Garrett activated it. She had a kill chip.


End file.
